Lando Norris takes the ninth pole of his career, Piastri helps in McLaren front row lockout (Reuters)
With the season finale one night away, the last Qualifying session saw familiar faces lock the front row at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Both the McLaren drivers locked out the front row and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed P3. In a shocker though, the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg sits at P4.
Lando Norris claimed his ninth pole position of his career, lapping the Yas Marina Circuit with the time of 1.23.682. His teammate Oscar Piastri followed in second, two tenths of a second slower. This gives McLaren a clear cut shot at clinching the World Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998.
Although Carlos Sainz got to P3 in what would be his last race for Ferrari, it was a disastrous Saturday for Ferrari as their chances at the Constructors’ title slipped away further as Charles Leclerc’s lap time in Q2 was deleted after crossing the track limits on Turn 1 which sent him down to P14. After the penalty, his final grid position would be P19. Ferrari would be hoping for a miracle if they ever hope to win the Constructors’ title, last winning it in 2008.
Sergio Perez, whose future still remains uncertain, finished with a 1.23.559 putting his Red Bull at P10, while his teammate and World Champion Max Verstappen ran through the field to start his Sunday from P5. Red Bull’s sister team Visa Cash App RB’s drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will start the race beside each other, starting P11 and P12 respectively.
It was a qualifying to forget for the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton as a bollard being stuck under his car spoiled his lap, putting the Mercedes at P18 with a 1.23.887 in his last qualifying for the Silver Arrows. He will have to work really hard to make his last race for the team a memorable one. His teammate George Russell managed a lap time of 1.23.678 putting his car at P7.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu also had their last Qualifying for their team, Kick Sauber, and Zhou had to exit after Q1 after his 1.23.880 could only give him a P17. Bottas on the other hand went all out and got the car to Q3, putting his car at P9.
Both the Hass drivers put up a show during the evening in Abu Dhabi, but only Nico Hulkenberg got the better performance off the car. Kevin Magnussen, in his last Formula 1 qualifying, could deliver only a P15. Nico Hulkenberg, who last sat on Pole in 2010, drove through the circuit with the lap time of 1.23.722, which put him in a shocking P4.
For Aston Martin, two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso pushed the car to to Q1, starting P8, while Lance Stroll couldn’t go past P13.
Making his debut in F1 for Alpine, Jack Doohan had a tough start as his 1.24.105 put him last, but the penalties for Williams and Leclerc would mean he would start P16. Pierre Gasly showed his skills yet again by bringing the car into Q3 and securing a P6.
Both the Williams drivers Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto were given a five place grid penalty which did not help their disappointing Qualifying bout, and will start at the back of the grid after Albon managed a P18 and Colapinto a P20 (after penalties).
